CANINE COMPANIONS: Check out what’s happening at the Dean, Gerda and Trixie Koontz Campus.

Canine Companions

The Dean, Gerda and Trixie Koontz Campus in Oceanside

WORDS: ELIZABETH SCHWARTZE PHOTOS: ZACH CORDNER

Oceanside’s Canine Companions campus

is a delightful two-acre campus named after significant benefactors (and famous author): The Dean, Gerda and Trixie Koontz Campus located at 124 Rancho del Oro Drive. On any given day 50 to 60 dogs are being trained for their life’s work—to aid a person that needs assistance in their everyday life.

The dog companions increase the quality of life for their matched human, and it’s a partnership that defines the title as “man’s best friend.” With such a profound mission, and successful delivery on that mission, Oceanside is fortunate that Canine Companions Southwest region campus calls the city, “home.”

Canine Companions was founded in 1975 in Santa Rosa, California, and has six regions serving the country. Canine Companions is the largest non-profit provider of service dogs in the United States and is renowned throughout the world for the caliber of the dogs they train. The quality of the matches made between the service dogs and the people they are trained to serve is called the “magic of the match.”

The Canine Companions Southwest Region was established in 1987 in Rancho Santa Fe and moved to Oceanside when the Dean, Gerda and Trixie Koontz campus opened in 1996, where it is still located to this day. It’s a sprawling two-acre campus neatly tucked away on an easily-accessible piece of land zoned for non-profit organizations and leased from the City of Oceanside.

With 35 employees, the Southwest region serves seven states: Arizona, Southern California, Colorado, Hawaii, Southern Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Nationally, Canine Companions has over 2,700 active service dog teams across the country and have made over 7,200 matches since its induction.

The Southwest region touts 366 active service dog teams throughout the seven states. The organization states, “we serve adults, children, and veterans with disabilities. We serve more than 65 different disabilities and can meet a client’s diverse needs and impact their lives in powerful ways. The goal is to increase independence and quality of life for our clients through the humancanine bond.” Oceanside’s two-acre Dean, Gerda and Trixie Koontz Campus has two training rooms, twelve guestrooms with support facilities, a small gift shop, living room, kitchen, a “Great Room,” grooming room, an x-ray room, and all the administrative offices. Public monthly tours are held on the third Thursday of every month at 1:30 p.m. at the Oceanside

Oceanside resident Dan Guillou with his third Canine Companions service dog, Vanetter.

campus. Tours are open to everyone, and RSVPs are not necessary for groups under ten people. An Oceanside resident and Canine Companion recipient is Daniel Guillou. He can be seen throughout Oceanside with his current assistant, Vanetter, or Van for short. Van is Dan’s third service dog. Dan mentions how remarkable the matching process is between dog and owner. “I’ve had three dogs and they’re all very different, but a perfect fit for my needs. I need a dog that can go to large-scale events and not be scared.” The three year-old black labrador impresses onlookers with his skills to hit the crosswalk button for Daniel, safely aiding him along the busy streets.

The signature blue-and-yellow coats the dog wears can be seen throughout Oceanside, as they are trained to navigate public spaces. Oceanside Harbor is a regular location where newbie puppiesin-training trot around garnering the attention of adoring onlookers—but, at the same time, learning valuable skills that will aid their matched human to enjoy the outdoors.

All of the Canine Companion dogs come from a breeding facility in Northern California. The dogs are Labrador, Golden Retriever, or Labrador-Golden Retriever crosses bred specifically for calm and intuitive dogs. All puppies go to volunteer puppy raisers, where they are raised until the age of approximately fourteen months. At fourteen months the puppies are evaluated to see if they demonstrate the skills needed to begin service training. It’s a 50/50 chance the puppy gets accepted to go to the next level. The 50 percent that do get accepted in the Southwest region then move to the Oceanside campus where they will live full-time, and spend the next six to

nine months working with professional trainers. The 50 percent that don’t get accepted have the opportunity to be adopted by their puppy raisers, or find a loving home where they will live the rest of their days as a family pet.

Lindsay Taylor is a Senior Instructor at the Canine Companions campus. She has been training Canine Companion service dogs for nine years. Lindsay was introduced to the program in college when she was studying Animal Science, and became a puppy raiser. It’s a prestigious and meaningful career with a multi-level hierarchy. The entry-level position is an Instructor Assistant, and through experience and testing, the assistant then goes on to be an apprentice at levels one, two, and three. To become a Senior Instructor, like Lindsay, a series of both written and practical tests need to be passed. It’s a rewarding career and Lindsay proudly professes, “having a job where you’re making a difference and getting to see the direct impact of your hard work benefitting our clients is the best.”

It costs roughly $50,000 for each fully-trained dog and each dog is given to its matched human completely free of charge. Applicants go through a vetting process that includes interviews to ensure that a service dog is a good fit for their lifestyle and can enhance their quality of life. Once the applicant has been accepted, and the “magical match” is made with one of the trained dogs, the new owner and companion go through a two-week “crash course.” The newly matched partners live in dorm buildings located on the campus where they learn to live together through proper handling.

Largely due to the expertise of the trainers and their innate sense for each dog’s purpose and the needs of the client, Canine Companions boasts a 98 percent success rate. That means that almost every single match made goes on to a synergistic partnership. There is also an extensive follow-up program with the match.

The magical match is celebrated at a graduation! The public is invited to attend the graduation ceremonies that happen four times per year and showcase about ten to twelve client/ service dog partnerships beginning their life together. The next graduation will be held on Friday, February 10, at El Corazon Senior Center. According to Executive Director, Marcell Malette, “it’s very rewarding to see someone’s life change when they get one of these dogs, so we recommend the public go to a graduation and watch that match happen.”

The service dogs are retired at approximately nine to twelve years-old, depending on the health of the dog and needs of the client. Once the dog

Canine Companions

Canine Companions Senior Instructor Stephanie Yocum Instructor Morgan Galovic at the Oceanside Canine Companions campus.

is retired, it can stay with its companion or go to a loving “retirement” home, ideally with someone the dog has known.

Canine Companions has four stars on Charity Navigator, Platinum Transparency in 2022, lists all its current financials, and is proudly funded 100 percent by donations. Canine Companions Southwest Region was recently recognized by Harrah's Resort SoCal's Give Back program “All-in 4 Change” with a $25,000 grant. So, a great way to give back is to donate, knowing that the donation benefits its recipient.

Volunteering is also a great way to give back. There are multiple ways to volunteer, including helping with their largest fundraiser, DogFest, where planning for 2023 is underway. But, one of the cutest and most meaningful ways to volunteer is as a much-needed puppy raiser! Loving homes are needed for Canine Companion puppies and the public is welcome to open their home for an adorable puppy. Canine Companions: The Dean, Gerda and Trixie Koontz Campus 124 Rancho del Oro Drive (760) 901-4300 Voice (800) 572-BARK (2275) Toll-free www.canine.org/location/southwest